I Agree with Andy Rooney???

Yeah, I guess I do. Normally I find him a grouchy old man who hates everybody and is extremely liberal. Well, I guess all that is still true. However, I happened to watch him yesterday and I actually ditto what he said to the core.

"One of the ways we divide our year is with holidays. The Fourth of July is the beginning of summer. Labor Day is the beginning of a new year. New Year's Day isn't really the beginning of anything except a new calendar. Thanksgiving is our most American holiday and it's good because we don't have to DO anything on Thanksgiving except maybe eat turkey and watch football. That's why I object to the way it's being squeezed out by Christmas. The trouble is, there's no money in Thanksgiving for businesses. People trying to sell things want to skip right over it and get to Christmas. Christmas is far and away the most commercial holiday we have.

Some stores do 30 percent of their whole year's business in the period before Christmas. That's why they try to make it last a long time by starting it earlier every year. Here it is four days before Thanksgiving and the stores are already all about Christmas. The big department stores have their Christmas windows fixed up. They're good to look at, but they're too soon, that's all. It ought to be against the law to start Christmas before December. In the malls, some stores have had their Christmas decorations up since October. Kids are sitting on Santa Claus' lap telling him what they want before their parents know where they're going to get the money to pay for it. In New York City, they put up the tree in Rockefeller Center ten days ago - 41 days before Christmas. The Salvation Army already has its bell ringers on the streets, looking for Christmas donations.

Everyone is trying to make whatever they have to sell seem like a Christmas present. Shoes are not a Christmas present at any time of year. On television, there are unlikely Christmas gifts. How would you like a bottle of Pepto Bismol for Christmas? For the past six weeks, we've been getting magazines with special Christmas or "holiday" subscription offers. When you open a magazine, these holiday flyers fall out like confetti. In advertising, "holiday" is the new, religiously correct name for Christmas. I like Christmas presents, Christmas music, Christmas trees, Christmas cards. I like the Christmas spirit. What I don't like is the way people whose only interest in Christmas is money have moved in on a nice, non-commercial holiday as Thanksgiving. " - Andy Rooney 11/23/08

I was planning on writing my own "Don't Forget about Thanksgiving" blog but now I don't have to. Now all that there's left to do is wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

"Hate" Update

Okay, so I've been somewhat thinking about what I last wrote over the past week and I've realized a lot of those things I actually don't "hate" after all. Don't get me wrong--they still annoy me, but hate was, indeed, too strong of a word. There are things on that list I can change and there are things that I cannot change. There are things that don't really matter and things that are pretty serious. However, for the most part, I think it's okay. It's okay to dislike things. It's okay to be annoyed at things other people do. That's part of being human, right? Well actually, even my cats are kind of the same. I bought some Pounce treats for them and Malcolm will devour them whole while Miles sniffs them and just walks away.

I've learned something though--I don't want to be a hateful person. I don't want to miss out on the good things because I've focused mainly on the bad. That goes not only with my list but just in the world itself. Things are tough now but it's not all bad. I mean, just look at the gas prices. They've plummeted!!! That's so amazing to me!!! I mean, did any of us imagine this would happen any time soon? I sure didn't. See, that's one positive. There's one good thing that exists in the world. Hmmm, that sounds familiar...

"It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for!"

(Steph, you're the biggest dork in the whole world!)

Okay, a little cheesy, but I love it! Tolkien was a genius!!!

I'm not saying that I'm a hero or anything--I haven't really done anything at all. Things have just been so hard lately. I haven't really had a moment's peace this whole year--and that really sucks! But there have been people along the way who have helped me along and I am grateful for that. Some even helped by kicking me down--as weird as that might sound. I need to accept that fact that things have changed for me. I guess I got what I wanted--but I haven't accepted it yet. It's like asking for roses and being delivered ones made of paper. Not what I originally wanted but kind of better in the long run because paper ones won't die.

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about lately. I don't really feel any better but I suppose it's a step in the right direction. I can't change how people act or what people do but I can change how I handle it.

That's what I've learned--again and again and again and again and again.

It never ends.

The blog for ME

No one else is going to benefit from this blog entry but I could give a crap less right now. To be honest, I am not doing very well right now. Actually, I am kind of ticked off. But none of that is really relevant. Well, maybe a little relevant--but I was planning on doing this entry irregardless of how I was feeling. There are a lot of little things that I hate. I know hate is a strong word to use and might seem unnecessary for little things. Nonetheless, "Hate" is accurate.

I don't know if I actually heard this somewhere or if I made it up in my head but I am going to do a little exercise that will, hopefully, help me get rid of some of my hatred. The theory is that typing them down will release the tensions into the void and I will be rid of them. It is supposedly therapeutic. I don't know if it works--but I suppose we will find out.

Things Steph Hates as of 11/09/08

*A crowd of people
*Ignorant people
*Self-absorbed people
*"Scientific" people
*Actors/actresses/entertainers who talk about politics--ON EITHER SIDE
*The shows TMZ, ET, The Insider, Access Hollywood--etc
*People who go, "Um hmm" every two seconds and nod at the person talking to them
*People who drive way too fast
*People who drive like morons
*People who come to the fitting room and have a cow that I only let them take in 6 items at a time to try on (I don't make the rules, I just enforce them!)
*A girl I work with--let's call her "Melody"
*That I keep failing
*That I just don't shut up sometimes
*Extreme BYU Fans
*Extreme UTE fans
*The fact that I am the one who has to call people to come in to work. I HATE calling people!
*People who come into the U.S. illegally
*The people in the U.S. who are OKAY with the people coming in illegally.
*People who stand and block the hallways after church and just yak, yak, yak! JUST MOVE!!!
*Parents who do nothing while their child is screaming and screaming.
*Parents who let their kids run around and knock stuff over.
*When I put a call on hold, call it out over the walkie-talkie, and I just get ignored!
*Being miserable
*When people tell me to just "Be happy". {Oh really, gee I never thought of that. What a concept!}
*When people overlook Thanksgiving as a holiday that comes BEFORE Christmas.
*The fact that I don't understand guys.
*The fact that guys are stupid.
*The fact that girls are mean.
*Being a girl.
*Feeling alone
*BEING alone
*The fact that I always make the wrong choice
*Feminists
*Male chauvinists
*Racists
*Bigots
*Mean people
*The people who said, "If you don't vote for Obama then you are racist!"
*Bossy people
*People who gossip
*People who talk on their phones or use their blue tooth devices while walking around a store.
*Those cell phones that are like walkie-talkies
*Those toaster-cars (Scions--I think)
*CROCS--those hideously UGLY shoes
*The fact that people can't just buy something and NOT return it
*Working on Sunday
*People who think EVERYTHING should be closed on Sunday. (Yeah, most things should, but not EVERYTHING. Not the hospital, the police, or a store big enough to get milk or medicine should that be required.)
*When teachers make you introduce yourself on the first day of class.
*When you lose points if you never, ever raise your hand in class
*When you study hard for a test then find out half of the crap you studied is NOT on the test!
*When you actually have a desire to do well in a class--yet do badly.
*When your class is full of 18 year olds--especially ones that think they are the cat's pajamas

Most of all

*I hate hating myself.



Anyway, I am going to study what I've written and figure out what I can do to fix it. I think I have too much hate in my life and, apparently, I have issues with people.

How sad.

Why I am less than pleased about the election

I don't like Obama's way of thinking. He's probably a decent person, a good father, and a nice husband but I still don't like his way of thinking. The fact that he is African-American has nothing to do with why I don't like him. He could be the Jolly Green Giant for all I care--I still don't like his way of thinking. It is nice that racial prejudices have gone away and that people are not as prejudice as they once were--but I still don't like his way of thinking. He had a good campaign and accepted his win graciously--but I still don't like his way of thinking. He promised his daughters they could have a puppy. That's cute--but I STILL don't like his way of thinking.

I hope I have made my point here. I don't agree with him, which is why I did NOT vote for him. You're supposed to vote for someone you agree with.

"What don't you agree with, Steph?"

A big thing is the "Share the Wealth" attitude he has. I don't think that is right.
If a person has earned his or her money legally he or she has the right to keep it for his or herself. They have the right to buy an expensive house, a crazy car, an elephant--whatever the crap they want. They've worked for the money so they deserve to use it how they want.

"Uh-ugh-b-b-but-what about the poor people?"

Of course those people should NOT be forgotten. Charities and other social programs are certainly important to help those who are truly in need.

"But we should MAKE the rich give some money to the poor!"

NO! That's not right!!! If they don't want to give then it is their right to not give.

"But that's not very Christlike on their part."

Yeah, you're right. But they have free agency too. If they choose to keep their money and not give it then that is their right. However, if they feel like giving, they deserve the right to donate to a charity or whatever. THE POINT IS THAT IT IS NOT RIGHT TO FORCE PEOPLE TO SHARE THE WEALTH!!!

There's another thing that bothers me. Actually, it probably bothers me MORE than sharing the wealth. I am honestly worried that our country will be attacked again. I am afraid that the world will see us as weak and that our enemies will use this to our advantage and try to further weaken us. Withdrawing the troops early shows that we are quitters. Who wants to be a quitter? I don't.

"But Steph, now European countries like us again."

WHO CARES? No seriously, who freakin' cares? There's a whole ocean between us. The fact that Sweden likes us again won't be a comfort if and when we get attacked by terrorists again.



There's tough times ahead, my friends. I don't know what will happen, as no one does. I do love our country and that is why I want what is best. I did not vote for Obama because I do not think he is the best man for the job. However, what's done is done, and I hope he turns out to be a good ruler after all. As of now, though, I am very, very scared.